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Nazrin Abdul

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In a historic development for bilateral relations, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam held a joint press conference on May 7 in Baku, following high-level talks that culminated in the signing of a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership. This document, which President Aliyev described as a “very serious political document,” marks a significant elevation in ties between the two countries and signals a commitment to wide-ranging cooperation.

"This is a document that will elevate Vietnamese-Azerbaijani relations to a higher level," said President Aliyev during his statement, underlining the political weight of the agreement. His remarks conveyed not only satisfaction with the visit but also a forward-looking vision for bilateral engagement. “I am convinced that these high-level relations will play a very important role in our bilateral cooperation in the future,” he noted.

President Aliyev emphasised the comprehensive nature of the partnership, highlighting the sectors covered by the newly signed agreements, including energy, transport, trade, education, and defence industry cooperation. The breadth of cooperation reflects both countries’ aspirations to diversify and modernise their international partnerships amid a complex global environment.

“We have taken a very serious step in the direction of mutual cooperation,” Ilham Aliyev said, emphasising that the results of the visit must translate into “concrete projects.” This practical tone suggests that Baku is keen to move beyond symbolic diplomacy and build measurable outcomes from this renewed alliance.

While acknowledging that Azerbaijan’s trade with Vietnam has historically been dominated by oil sales, President Aliyev pointed out the need for diversification and balance. “When oil sales are high, trade increases, and when they drop, it decreases too,” he said. “Of course, we would like to see our trade become more balanced.”

To address this, both leaders discussed mutual investment opportunities. President Aliyev revealed that discussions included the possibility of Vietnamese companies investing in Azerbaijan and SOCAR (Azerbaijan’s state oil company) investing in Vietnam. This two-way investment approach reflects a maturing relationship, where both sides are seeking sustainable economic engagement beyond raw commodities.

A key mechanism to facilitate this will be the reactivation of the Intergovernmental Commission, which has been dormant for several years. “The issue of convening a meeting of the Commission soon has been resolved on the basis of the agreement reached,” said President Aliyev, signaling a concrete institutional step toward activating these economic ambitions.

Clean energy and defence: New frontiers of cooperation

President Aliyev devoted special attention to renewable energy cooperation, a sector that Azerbaijan is aggressively expanding. “The signed contracts will provide us with 6,500 megawatts of new and clean energy capacity in five years,” he said, while inviting Vietnamese companies to invest in this emerging market. Notably, he added, “The Azerbaijani side is ready to invest in renewable energy in Vietnam,” showing that the intent is mutual.

He also identified defence industry cooperation as an area with strong potential. “This sector is sufficiently developed in both countries,” he remarked. The suggestion to “join efforts, create joint ventures and mutual cooperation” in defence points to a strategic depth that goes beyond economic and cultural ties.

Multilateral diplomacy and shared principles

The convergence between Azerbaijan and Vietnam is not limited to bilateral matters. Ilham Aliyev noted strong cooperation in multilateral platforms, recalling Vietnam’s support for Azerbaijan during its tenure in the UN Security Council and shared activity within the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

Importantly, both leaders voiced clear support for international law and peaceful dispute resolution. “There is no disagreement here either,” President Aliyev said. “All issues should be resolved based on the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and inviolability of the borders of countries.” His remarks mirrored General Secretary To Lam’s reiteration of Vietnam’s commitment to peaceful resolution and adherence to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

These mutual affirmations reflect a shared diplomatic worldview, rooted in sovereignty, stability, and respect for legal norms and principles that resonate strongly in both countries’ foreign policies.

Connectivity as a bridge between regions

Despite the geographic distance between the two nations, President Aliyev pointed out that transport corridors such as the North-South and East-West routes can serve as the backbone for deeper trade. “We can encourage mutual trade through both the North-South and East-West transport corridors,” he said. This shows Azerbaijan’s ambition to use its transit infrastructure not just as a regional tool but as a bridge linking Asia and Europe - with Vietnam positioned as a key eastern partner.

President Aliyev closed his remarks by acknowledging the historic nature of To Lam’s visit. “Although the visit is short in terms of time, it is quite rich in terms of content,” he said, expressing confidence that the visit would yield “very good results.”

To Lam, in turn, praised the “trust, friendship, and sincerity” of his talks with Aliyev and expressed optimism for deepened relations in “political, diplomatic, energy, defense, trade, and other fields.” He proposed five goals to operationalize the strategic partnership and invited President Aliyev to visit Vietnam.

The May 7 meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and General Secretary To Lam marks a watershed moment in Azerbaijani-Vietnamese relations. With the signing of a strategic partnership declaration and a detailed roadmap for cooperation, both countries have demonstrated clear political will to translate historical goodwill into modern, multi-sectoral engagement.

What remains now is the implementation. If the vision laid out in Baku can be realized through effective policy follow-through and institutional coordination, the Azerbaijan-Vietnam partnership could serve as a model for how geographically distant but politically aligned countries can forge meaningful, strategic ties in a fragmented global order.